FR2548952A1 - Method and machine for manufacturing shoe soles - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine for moulding shoe soles comprises a frame 1 supporting a plastic extruder 4, a lower moulding assembly 8 and a movable upper moulding assembly 7, which assemblies are mounted on the frame 1 and define a mould cavity, a ram 10 moving the upper moulding assembly 7 between closed and open positions of the mould, gripping means 18 intended to remove a sole from the upper moulding assembly 7 and transfer means 17 which support the gripping means 18 and are intended to remove the sole from the vicinity of the upper mould for the remainder of the processing (treatment) or the packaging.

Description

 The present invention relates to a method and a device for manufacturing shoe soles, and in particular to a method and a machine for molding shoe soles.

 The method and the machine of the present invention present several important innovations, and constitute developments to the device and method described in patent CA-90O 116. When molding soles using the device described in this patent, a large quantity of barbs is obtained. The beards must be removed by pliers, and recycled or discarded. In addition, the use of the device is somewhat laborious. When the manufactured soles are released from the lower molds, they are not removed from the immediate vicinity of the device, that is to say that the finished soles must be evacuated manually from the device to undergo a subsequent treatment.

 An object of the present invention is to make the molding of shoe soles more automated.

To this end, the subject of the present invention is a machine for molding shoe soles, characterized in that it comprises (a) a frame intended to support a material extruder
plastic (b) lower molding means mounted on said chassis; (c) movable upper molding means mounted on the
chassis and intended to cooperate with the molding means
lower to define a mold cavity intended
to receive plastic from said ex
extruder to form a shoe sole, (d) means for moving the upper molding means
between a closed position defining the cavity and a
open position in which the molded sole is
held in place on said upper molding means
laughing (e) gripping means for removing a sole
said upper molding means; and (i) transfer means supporting the pre-
hension and intended to remove said sole from the neighbor
swim the upper mold, for further processing or
packaging.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a shoe sole, characterized in that it comprises the steps consisting in (a) forming a mold cavity by moving a mold su
lower down against a lower mold (b) inject plastic inside the ladi
the mold cavity to form the sole (c) open the mold cavity by moving the upper mold
laughing upwards away from the lower mold,
the sole being attached to the upper mold (d) take said sole and transfer the sole out of the
upper mold, for further processing or packaging
age.

 By using a so-called heated channel device in the machine during the molding of a thermoplastic material, the quantity of plastic material used during the molding process is reduced, since the normally formed barbs are eliminated. A heated channel device is intended to maintain the molten thermoplastic material until the material enters the mold. Thus, the barbs normally associated with the molding of a thermoplastic material are eliminated. Conventional heated channel systems include heating elements connected to and forming part of the mold. In the machine of the present invention, the heated channel apparatus is not part of the mold, which significantly simplifies the structure of the mold and reduces the costs of manufacturing the molds.

The invention is described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and in which
- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a molding machine according to the present invention, showing a mold in the open position
- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 1
- Fig. 3 is a front elevation view of the archine of FIGS. 1 and 2, one mold being open and another being closed
- Fig. 4 is a view in longitudinal section of an apparatus with heated channels used in the machine of FIGS. 1 to 3,
- Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 4,
- Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of FIG. 4,
- Fig. 7 is a plan view of a pivot for the upper mold of the device in FIGS. 1 to 3,
- Fig. 8 is an end view partially in section of an upright used in the pivot of FIG. 7,
- Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an upper mold and a lock for this,
- Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the upper mold and of a safety lock therefor
- Fig. 11 is a view in longitudinal section of a gripping device used in the machine of FIGS. 1 to 3,
- Fig. 12 is a partially sectioned view of the device of FIG. 11,
- Figs. 13 to 15 are schematic views in elevation in plan and front view, of the parts of the machine of FIGS. 1 to 12 in operation,
- Fig. 16 is a schematic front view of another mold structure intended for use in the machine of FIGS. 1 to 3, and FIGS. 17 and 18 are schematic elevation views of the structure of FIG. 16.

 With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the molding machine of the present invention comprises a generally rectangular chassis 1 comprising adjustable feet 2. A carriage 3 supports a pair of extruders 4 at one end of the casings 1. The extruders 4 normally remain in place for injecting a thermoplastic material into a pair of molds generally designated by the reference 5, but can be moved away from the molds for purging or maintenance purposes. A thermoplastic material, for example polyvinyl chloride or thermoplastic rubber, is introduced into the extruders 4 by hoppers 6.

 Each of the molds 5 (FIG. 3) comprises a movable upper molding assembly 7 and a fixed lower molding assembly 8. The lower molding assembly 8 is mounted on a table or tray 9. The upper molding assembly 7 is moved vertically between a closed position (right mold in Figure 3) and an open position (left mold in Figure 3) by a large cylinder 10 whose piston rod 11 is connected to the entire upper molding 7. L the upper molding assembly 7 is guided by a rod 12 extending upwards through a fixed upper plate 13, which is supported by uprights 14. Soles 16 molded in the molds 5 are removed from the molds by devices automatic transfers designated by the general reference 17, which include gripping devices 18, and tilting arms 19 intended to transfer the soles 16 to conveyors 20. The soles 16 can also be transferred directly to containers (not shown), for packaging purposes. The conveyors 20 are mounted on feet 21 and are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chassis 1, to evacuate the soles 16 of the machine so that they undergo further processing or for their packaging. The operation of the machine, including that of the extruders 4, is controlled in a simple manner using a console 22 mounted on the free end of a pole 23, at the end of the machine, on the mold side. is rotatably mounted on the frame 1 by means of an upright 24 housed in a support 25. Panels 26 and doors 27 (Figures 1 and 2) are provided at the end of the machine, mold side, in order to protect the operator. Of course, the doors 27 allow access to the molds for maintenance purposes, etc.

 Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, as mentioned above, each lower molding assembly 8 is fixedly mounted on the plate 9 of the machine. Such a lower molding assembly 8 comprises a lower mold 30, which defines with an upper mold 32 a molding cavity 31 intended to receive a thermoplastic material for forming the sole from an injector 33 of the extruder 4.

The lower mold 30 is mounted on a cooling plate 35 provided with a passage 36 for the circulation of a coolant, which ensures that the sole 16 hardens quickly to be removed from the mold.

 The lower molding assembly 8 is mounted on a heated channel device generally designated by the reference 37, which keeps the liquid plastic material until it enters the molding cavity 31. The heated channel device comprises a casing defined by an upper wall 38, an end wall 39, side walls 40 (FIG. 6), and partitions 42. The casing must be strong enough to support the mold 5 under high molding pressures, and open enough to prevent the heat transfer. A cover 43 (Figure 4), at one end of the housing, allows access to the rest of the device with heated channels.

 Plastic dobby from the extruder 4 is introduced into the molding cavity 31 by a heated tube defined by a block 44 and tubular injectors 45. The block 44 is generally V-shaped (FIG. 6), with channels U-shaped in its upper and lower surfaces, intended to receive tubular heating elements 46. The ends 47 of each heating element 46 are threaded, for the connection of the elements to electrical wires (not shown). Thermocouples 48 are mounted at the top of block 44 for temperature control. The thermocouples 48 are mounted at the ends and at the top of a V-shaped channel 49 of the block 44.

Heating coils 51 are provided around the injectors 45 to ensure that the thermoplastic material which they contain remains liquid until it enters the mold cavity 31.

 It is important to keep the injectors 45 aligned with the injection orifices 52 of the lower mold 30.

Thus, longitudinal and transverse stops 53 and 54, respectively (Figure 6), are provided to hold in place the block 44, and therefore the injectors 45 in correct alignment. The longitudinal or front stop 53 is simply an upright intended to come into contact with the front end 55 of the block 44. The transverse stops 54 include hooks 56 intended to come into contact with vertical projections 57 of the front end 55 of block 44, in order to prevent the transverse spacing of the arms of the block. The stops 53 and 54 are located on the longitudinal and transverse central lines of the injectors 45, to prevent any movement due to the thermal expansion of the block 44. The contact between the stops 53 and 54, and the block 44 is kept to a minimum so to keep the heat transfer from block 44 to the casing of the heated channel device to a minimum.

 The rear end of block 44 is held in place between upper and lower plates 60 and 61, respectively. The lower plate 61 is supported on the lower wall of the casing by an upright 62. Sleeves 63 support the front end of the block 44. The sleeves 63 have lower bevelled ends, in order to further reduce contact with the casing, and therefore, heat transfer. The heated channel structure described so far provides minimal heat transfer, so that heat is only applied to the elements that require it, and heat transfer to the rest of the machine is maintained at a minimum.

 The plastic material enters the rear end of the block 44 through an inlet opening 64 and passes through horizontal passages 65 towards vertical passages 66 if - killed in the block 445 towards the injectors 45. Each injector 45 comprises a valve comprising an elongated stem or valve stem 68, slidably mounted in a bearing 69 of the block 44. The upper end of the stem 68 of its pope is cut into a cone to correspond with an injection port 70 correspondingly flared. Annular sealing grooves 71 are provided at the lower end of the valve stem 68. During the injection, the grooves are filled with plastic material, to seal the stem 68 in the bearing and to prevent plastic leaks. fondue between the cushion and the valve stem.

The valve stem moves back and forth in the passage 66 by means of a tubular stem 72 connected to the lower end of the valve stem 68 and edging downward through holes 73 of the plate 8, towards a lever mechanism designated by the general reference 75.

 The lever mechanism 75 comprises two levers 76 connected to the rods 72 by axes 77 passing through the upper end 78 in fork of the levers 76 and the lower ends of the rods 72. The levers 76 are mounted to oscillate so as to rotate around an axis horizontal on the front end 79 of a support 80 A rod 82 extends between the sides 83 extending downward from the support 80, to support the levers 7o in rotation Two jacks 34 are also mounted on the support 8 ('. A stirrup 85, at the rear end of each jack 83, connects the jack in an articulated manner to an arm 86 extending downwards from the rear end of the support 80. A piston rod 87 extends outward from the front end of each 3Z cylinder, and the front end of the rod is hingedly connected to one of the levers 76 by means of an e- sort 88. Thus, the extension or retraction of the rod 87 causes the opening or closing, respectively, of the orifice d 70. The upward or closing movement of the valve stems 68 is limited by stop screws 89 passing through the lower end of each lever 76. The screws 89 are in contact with the ends of a horizontal arm 90 of a support 91 in the form of an inverted T, which extends downwards from the support 80. By adjusting the screws 89, the degree of opening of the valve stems 68 can be modified, to modify the characteristics of filling the mold.

 With reference to FIGS. 7 to 10, each upper molding assembly 7 comprises the upper mold 32, which is associated with a cooling plate 95. The upper mold 32 and the cooling plate 95 are mounted to oscillate on a plate 96 which can be moved vertically, which is connected to the lower end of the piston rod 11 of the cylinder 10. A hinge plate 97 is fixed on each side of the front end 98 of the cooling plate 95. An axis 99 passes through the upper end of each plate 97 to enter a block 100 on each side of the top of the plate 96, in order to rotationally support the upper mold 32 and the cooling plate 95, for their rotation around a horizontal axis defined by the axes 99. Thus, the upper mold 32 can rotate from a horizontal position to take a substantially vertical position (about 250 from the vertical), as described below in more detail.

 As shown in FIG. 8, the block 100 is fixed to the plate 96 by two bolts 101 and elastic washers 102 trapped between the text of each bolt 101 and a countersunk recess 103 formed in the block 100. Thus, there is a gap between 0.75 mm between the block 100 and the plate 96 when the upper mold 32 is in its closed position against the lower mold. When the pressure exerted on the upper mold 32 is released, that is to say when the upper mold 32 is distant from the lower mold 39, the springs 102 push the block 100 downwards, so that the gap is located between the plate 96 and the cooling plate 95 (FIG. 10), which facilitates the rotation of the upper mold 32 and the cooling plate 95.

 The rotation of the upper mold 32 is ensured by a tilting jack 108 (FIGS. 7, 9 and 10), the rear end of which is hingedly connected to an upright 109 situated on the rear end of the plate 96. A rod of piston 110 extends forward from the jack 108 and is hingedly connected to an arm 112 extending inwardly from one of the plates 97, by means of a yoke 113. The withdrawal and extension of the piston rod 110 cause the upper mold 32 to open and close, respectively, that is to say a tilting movement of the upper mold from its horizontal position to its vertical position, and vice versa. The cooling plate 95 is guided towards its position against the plate 96 by guide tabs 114 extending downward from the plate.

 During molding, the upper mold 32 is locked in its closed (horizontal) position, against the plate 96 by a lock designated by the general reference 115 (FIG. 9), at the rear end of the plate 96. The verrnu 113 comprises a tab 116 extending outward from the rear end of the cooling plate 95. On the mat 116 engages a hook 117, which is mounted on a shaft 118 extending between two blocks 119 to l rear end of the plate 96. The shaft 118 and the hook 117 are actuated in rotation from the locked position to the position released by a jack 120 when air is supplied to the jack. A spring (not shown) located in the cylinder 120 returns the hook 117 to the locked position. The rear end of the cylinder 120 is hingedly mounted on an upright 121 of the plate 96. A piston rod 122 extending towards the exterior from the other end of the cylinder 120 is connected in an articulated manner to the upper end of a lever 123, by means of a yoke 124.

The lever 123 is fixedly connected to the shaft 118, so that the withdrawal of the piston rod 122 causes the release of the lug 116 by the hook 117, and consequently the cooling plate 95 and the upper mold 32 are released.

 The security lock of the upper molding assembly, designated by the general reference 125 (FIG. 11), prevents the upper mold from closing if the doors 27 are open. The latch 125 is mounted on the front end of the plate 96, and comprises a block 126 in which a pin 127 is slidably mounted. The spindle 127 is normally in abutment against one of the plates 97. When the upper mold 32 and the cooling plate 95 tilt, the spindle 127 remains retracted inside the block 126. The spindle 127 is connected to the rod- 128 of the piston of a pneumatic cylinder 129 mounted on the block 126 by means of a plate 130. If one of the doors 27 (FIG. 2) is open, a spring (not shown) located in the cylinder 129 pushes the spindle 127 behind the plate 97, to maintain the upper mold 32 and the cooling plate 95 in the tilted position. As soon as the door 27 is closed, air is supplied to the jack 129 to return the rod 127, and allows the upper mold 32 to tilt to take its closed position. This reduces the risk of operator injury.

 After the upper mold 32 has been tilted outwards (FIG. 1), each sole 16 is taken up by a gripping device designated by the general reference 18 (FIG. 1, 11 and 12). A pair of grippers is mounted in the rectangular holder 135 at one end of the arm 19. Each gripper 13 includes a pair of jaws 136 with opposite toothed inner edges 137. The inner ends 138 of the jaws 136 are mounted articulated on axes 139 located in a generally cylindrical casing 140. The outer gripping ends of the jaws 136 are spaced from one another by a helical spring 141 5 t extending between opposite recesses 142 provided in the jaws. The jaws 136 are closed by a frustoconical plunger 143 located at the outer end of a piston rod 144. The plunger 143 slides between and is pressed against rollers 146 mounted in the opposite inner ends of the jaws 136 The end inside of the piston rod 144 is connected to a piston 147, which is slidably mounted in a chamber 148.

The inner end of the chamber 148 is closed by a cover 15, which is fixed to one end of another piston rod 151. The piston rod 151 and consequently the whole casing 140 can slide in a chamber 152 provided for one end of a larger casing 153 An evacuation orifice 154 is provided in the chamber 152. The rear end of the piston rod 151 is connected to a double-action piston 155 slidably mounted in a chamber 156 of the casing 153. The casing 140 is provided with an air inlet 157 (FIG. 12d. The air inlet 157 is also used to communicate the chamber 148 with the atmosphere. 158 and 159 are provided for introducing air into and emptying the chamber 155 in order to take out or return the piston rod 151.

 When 1Pair is introduced into the chamber 148 through the inlet 157, the plunger 143 moves outward to close the jaws 136. When the air is evacuated from the chamber 148 through the inlet 157, the spring 141 forces the jaws 136 to open and returns the plunger to its retracted position.

 When air is introduced into the chamber 156 through the inlet 158, the piston 155, and consequently the casing 140, move outward to take out the jaws 136 in order to take a sole 16. When air is introduced into the inlet 159 and evacuated through the inlet 15S, the jaws 136 are returned with the casing 140, the piston rod 151 and the piston 155.

 The operation of the machine is described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. It will be noted that only the operation of one half of the machine is described, the operation of the other half being identical.

 With the extruder 4 in place and the mold 5 closed, a thermoplastic material is injected by the heated channel system 37 into the mold 5, to form a sole 16. Each mold 5 contains a pair of mold cavities 31, so that two flanges 16 are molded simultaneously in each mold 5. Of course, during the molding, the upper mold 32 and the cooling plate 95 are kept in the locked position against the plate 96, and the upper molding assembly # whole 7 is clamped against the lower molding assembly 8 by the clamping cylinder 10.

During the molding step, the gripping devices 18 are tilted in position in front of the mold 5 (FIG. 13). To this end, the automatic transfer device 17 of the machine comprises the tilting arms 19, which are rotatably mounted on rotary actuating devices 160, to rotate around a vertical axis. Each actuating device 160 is mounted on a support 161 (FIG. 1) for sliding vertically on the chassis 1 of the machine. A vertical adjustment is necessary for different molds, that is to say that, depending on the size of the molds, the location of the part of the sole which is gripped may vary. An arm 162 of the set of tilting arms, carrying the support 135, is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 163 to rotate about a horizontal axis. Such rotation is carried out using a rotary actuating device 164. When the molding step is completed, the clamping cylinder 10 and the piston rod ll raise the upper molding assembly 7 (Figure 14). The cooling plate 96 and the upper mold 32 tilt forward (Figures 1 and 14). The casing 140 of each of the gripping devices 1S is already out and the jaws 136 are closed to catch the soles 16. The soles 16 include a hollow heel having cruciform partitions, which are gripped by the jaws 16. Simultaneously with the gripping, the soles 16 are ejected in the conventional way, using air and ejection fingers (not shown). The jaws 136 provided with soles 16 are returned by introducing air into the chamber 156, by
The entry 159. The tilting arm 19 is tilted by about 900 to position the flanges 16 above the conveyor 20.

The arm 19 is rotated 900 so that the clamps 18 are pointed downwards. The jaws 136 are open and the soles 16 fall onto the conveyor 20. As mentioned previously, the soles 16 can also fall into cartons (not shown) or other transport packaging. The jaws 136 and the casing 140 are then returned to their extended position, the tilting arms 19 are rotated to place the gripping devices 18 in their horizontal position, and the tilting arms 19 are brought back to the gripping position of the soles (FIG. 13). This cycle can be r ~ p ~ té to infinity.

 A variant for the upper molding assembly 7 is represented in FIGS. 16 to 18 of the drawings, in which, whenever possible, the reference numbers of FIGS. 1 to 15 are used to designate identical or similar elements .

 The turret of FIGS. 16 d 18 comprises a stirrup 165 supporting a square upper molding assembly defined by a square turret 166. The stirrup 165 is slidably mounted on the piston rod 11. The turret 166 is mounted on a shaft 167 provided in the stirrup 165 to rotate around a horizontal axis. The turret 166 comprises an upper mold 168 on each of its surfaces. Cooling plates (not shown) and pneumatic ejectors are incorporated in the turret 166 to eject the flanges from each surface of the turret. After each rotation of 900 of the turret 166, the latter is locked in place by a piston rod 169, extending outwards from a jack 170 provided on the caliper 165, as far as an opening of a arm 171 of the turret 166.

In this embodiment of the invention, the jaws of the gripping device are replaced by suction heads 172, since this embodiment of the invention is intended for the manufacture of thin soles without a hollow heel.

 In operation, the turret 166 is brought against the lower molding assembly 8 to form molding cavities (not shown), the flanges are molded (FIG. 17) and the piston rod 11 and the movable upper plate 96 are raised. When the upper plate 96 is raised, it comes into contact with the stirrup 165 to bring the latter and the turret 166 upwards and create a gap between the turret 166 and the lower molding assembly 8. Nearby from the top of the stroke of the piston rod 11, the caliper comes into contact with the surface in i .- # upper of the fixed upper plate 13. The movable plate 96 continues to be raised while the turret 166 remains in place. Thus a gap is created between the top of the turret 166 and the plate 96. With this structure9 the plate 166 can rotate in the stirrup 165 to present the second molding assembly 8 with a second upper mold 168. lz plate 965 the stirrup 165 and the turret 166 are lowered and a second molding operation is carried out The cycle is repeated until the fourth molding operation, the instant at which the first soles face the suction heads 172. While the fourth operation molding is performed. The first pair of flanges is removed from the turret 166. Then, the molding and extraction of the flanges are carried out continuously.

Claims (10)

 1 - machine for molding shoe soles1 characterized in that it comprises  (a) chassis means (1) intended for 'sup  wear a plastic extruder (4)  (b) lower molding means () mounted on  the chassis means  (c) movable upper molding means (7)  mounted on the chassis means (1) and  intended to cooperate with the molding means  lower (8) to define a mold cavity  ge (31) intended to receive plas material  tick from the extruder (4) to form  a shoe sole (16)  (d) means (10) for moving the slack means  upper beam (7) between a closed position  defining the cavity (31) and a position or  green, in which the molded sole (16) is  held in place on the molding means  superiors (7)  (e) gripping means (18) intended to remove  a sole of said upper molding means s  (7); and  (f) transfer means (17) supporting the  gripping means (18) and intended to withdraw  the sole (16) in the vicinity of the upper mold,  for further processing or packaging  2 - Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises casting means with heated channels (37) fixed on the lower molding means (8) and intended to transport thermoplastic material from the extruder (4 ) to the molding cavity (31); said heated channel casting means maintaining the molten thermoplastic material until the material enters the molding cavity.  3 - 'machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the casting means å heated channels (37) comprise a housing (38, 39, 40, 12) intended to support the lower mold (8); a tube (44) mounted in the casing; an injector (45) provided on the housing and intended to introduce thermoplastic material into the mold cavity (31); passage means (65, 66) in the tubing (44), intended to convey the thermoplastic material from the extruder (4) to the injector (45); and heating means (46) for heating said tubing (44) and said injector (45).  4 - Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises valve means (68) normally closing the injector (45).  5 - Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises, in the housing (38, 39, 40, 42), stop means (53, 54) intended to counteract the thermal expansion of the tubing (44 ), in order to avoid misalignment of the injector (45) with respect to said mold cavities (31).  6 - Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a clamping cylinder (10) intended to move the upper molding means (7) between said closed and open positions; the upper molding means comprising a movable plate (96) connected to the clamping cylinder; an upper mold (32) connected to the movable plate (96), intended to close on the lower molding means; tilting means (108) intended to tilt the upper mold between a horizontal molding position and an unloading position, substantially vertical, in order to facilitate gripping of the sole (-16) by the gripping means (18).  7 - Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the gripping means comprise a pre renier casing (the); a pair of opposing jaws (136) projecting from one end of the first housing (140) and intended to grip a sole; a plunger (143) housed in the first housing and intended to close the opposing jaws (136); a second housing (153) slidingly supporting the first housing (140); and, in the second casing (153), drive means (151, 152, 154, 155, 156) intended to move the first casing (140) in the second casing (153), the jaws (136) thus being moved between an extended position, in engagement with the sole, and a retracted position for extracting the sole (16).  8 - Machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the transfer means (17) comprise tilting arms (19) supporting the gripping means (18) in rotation, between the grip position of the sole and a position of unloading of the sole (16).  9 - Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper molding means comprise a turret (166) supporting a plurality of upper molds (32); and a stirrup (165) supporting the turret (166) in rotation, in order to successively present the upper molds (32) to the lower molding means (39), a plurality of soles being able to be molded relatively quickly.  10 - Method for manufacturing a shoe sole, characterized in that it comprises the steps consisting in:  (a) forming a mold cavity (31) by moving  a downward upper molding assembly (7)  against a lower molding assembly (8)  (b) inject plastic into the cavity  molding (31) to form the sole (16);  (c) open the mold cavity (31) by moving  upper molding assembly (7) upwards  away from the lower molding assembly  -right (8), the sole (16) being fixed to lten-  seems of upper molding (7); and (d) take the sole (lo) and transfer the sole  away from the molding assembly su  bettor (7), for further processing or  packaging.